J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels and Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, both released the same year, are eerily similar. The parallels cannot be intentional, but let me present the evidence and you can be the judge.

What follows is a comparison of several major and minor characters in both the novels and the series¹ describing the roles they play. Could so much similarity be coincidence?

The Protagonist

Buffy Summers

Harry Potter

The protagonist is intense and driven. Gifted with powers far beyond those of his compatriots, The Protagonist is attractive and a natural but unwilling leader. She quickly finds herself isolated by the stress of her position, which leads to aggression and anger even against friends and allies. The protagonist has little respect rules and authority, and as such is constantly in trouble with The Authority Figure. Due to the supernatural nature of The Protagonist, he is the only thing that shields the world from evil, and she is continually tasked with covertly saving the day from ever-more-powerful enemies.

The Brainy Best Friend

Willow Rosenberg

Hermione Granger

Pretty, but bookish, the brainy best friend is a whiz at everything, possessing smarts and a diligent study ethic. This excess of brains and resourcefulness is balanced by social awkwardness. Then intense curiosity and intellect leads her to dabble in more powerful magics than she aught. Ironically, she finds herself attracted to The Right-Hand Man.

The Right-Hand Man

Xander Harris

Ron Weasley

The Right Hand Man lacks the attractiveness and charisma of the Protagonist. He’s usually the comic relief of the bunch, and finds himself caught in awkward and embarrassing situations. Although he acts the coward, beneath lies a backbone that shows itself in the face of evil and adversity.

The Standoffish Mentor

Rupert Giles

Professor Dumbledore

Aloof and anachronistic, this knowledgeable older man is both an asset and a puzzle to the Protagonist. He usually goes by only his last name. He offers clues and knowledge, but saving the day is always left to The Protagonist. Behind his wire-rimmed glasses is a steely interior that belies his bad-boy youth.

The Fantasy

Angel

Sirius Black

The Fantasy is the man of the protagonist’s dreams. He represents the normalcy and perfection that the protagonist desires, but the reality of the Fantasy’s past prevents this dream from becoming real. The Fantasy is ragged on the edges, on the verge of unhinged, and is forcibly excised from The Protagonist’s life.

The Authority Figure

Principal Snyder

Professor Snape

While they’re both on the same side, The Protagonist and The Authority Figure are continually at odds. The Protagonist and his friends often interpret The Authority Figure’s motives as evil, when really they come from the character seeing the world in a different way, having different information, and protecting his own interests. The Authority Figure can’t stand The Protagonist, but reluctantly finds himself helping her when danger is imminent.

The Rebellious Werewolf

Daniel “Oz” Osbourne

Remus Lupin

This brilliant, quiet, scrawny male transforms into a feral vicious beast once a month, which his school friends help him hide, and restrain him from harming innocents. He lacks respect for authority, intentionally violating the rules. This character always finds himself playing second or third fiddle, where he is a competent but unexciting ally.

The Rival

Cordelia Chase

Draco Malfoy

Rich, attractive and self-centered, The Rival and The Protagonist continually find their paths crossing, despite the fact that there is no love lost between them. They constantly compete. The Rival feels extreme social pressure to be something he really isn’t cut out to be, often acting cruelly to those she finds weak or unattractive. Yet The Rival often finds himself laughed at by others during her moments of weakness.

The Mother Hen

Joyce Summers

Molly Weasley

The working-class Mother Hen is a frumpy and stressed-out worrywart who constantly fusses over The Protagonist. She always acts in the best interest of the kids, to the point of being a hindrance to them stopping evil forces. Although initially kept in the dark about the kids activities, when she comes face-to-face with what The Protagonist faces, she becomes a steely protector.

The Supernatural Schoolyard

Sunnydale High

Hogwarts School

Although a beautiful, welcoming place during the day, the setting is home to monsters and creatures of great power. Travel outside at night is quite dangerous. Despite this, the main characters are constantly sneaking around academic hallways late at night. The setting is a place of great power, which draws trouble to it. The melodramatic antics of high school provide a constantly shifting backdrop over which the child characters are constantly struggling with adult intrigue and danger.

1. At least as far as season three. That’s all that’s available free on Hulu. ↩

While I was first surprised by my cat’s acrobatics, as she’s matured I’ve come to be amazed by her combination of being able to distinguish my car engine and tread from others, empathy when I’m sick or sad, and affinity for getting trapped in cupboards.

Jill and I feel the same way about the way the Church continually interferes with politics. The issue seems similar to bad parent who as the government to monitor their kids’ TV watching for them. It seems like every time I try and rekindle my trust in Catholicism, they pull stunts like the aforelinked one. I feel like Ronald Regan: I didn’t leave the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church left me.

For the past two years, my fiancée has engaged in two amazing projects: Daily Pleasure and [365days|me]+1. Her photography has turned from a hobby into a passion as well as a visual diary of her life. Jill’s dedication has inspired me to a project of my own. One Thousand Lines is my attempt at something similar.

One haiku per day for an entire year. One thousand lines of poetry. I would love for comments, analysis, suggestions and questions on word choice.

My special joy with this one: the alternate definition of “apostrophe.”

A guy is passed out on the stairs and someone’s drawn on his face with permanent marker. There’s a handful of sloppy drunk people on some beer-stained couches unwilling to call it a night. One of the bathrooms is filled with vomit and there’s trash everywhere. Suddenly a bunch of guys nobody knows shows up because this is the only place where they can keep drinking, and they start harassing the girls that until then were having a great time and now will never come back. Everyone gets into a fight, someone calls the cops and the whole thing ends up being a nightmare.

When the Republicans talk about being the party of Lincoln, remember that party.

Submitted for your approval: A Mac enthusiast finally receives his copy of Leopard. He’s upgrading operating system. What he doesn’t know is that the first application he opens will lead him into the RyLight Zone.